Heart of Gold, Soul of Silver
by xXxUSODAxXx
Summary: Paul was just an average kid become Pokemon Trainer, Over-looked by the town he's been born and raised in, he stops at nothing to prove his worth! Pokemon Journey Fan Fic. R&R is appreciated, fruitful criticism is accepted. .
1. Battle 1: A New Life

{Battle 1: Welcome To Your New Life}

The lights were bright and numerous and shined down with a warmness to those standing in it, being the shining light with the night sky behind it. The stadium seats around were filled, not one seat left empty... and yet, no one was sitting. Everyone was on their feet, shouting out unfavorable cheers to the participants, urging both sides to do their best. The competitors were two young boys, standing outside of a big circle. On the inside, were the true combatants, the monsters in which they trained with all their hearts. These monsters, usually residing in a small capsule device until summoned, which they were to be called Pocket Monsters or Pokemon for short,

These wide varieties of creatures have been co-existing with humans for many years. Since that time, humans and Pokemon have formed bonds through working together in life and even battles. Humans who have their Pokemon battle are called Trainers. The primary Goal of a trainer is to showcase their talent to the world via a tournament called the "Pokemon League." To outlast fellow challengers, surpass the authority, and defeat the current Pokemon Champion, every trainer strives for.

A big blue serpent-like Pokemon, similar to that of a dragon, stood tall, towering over it's opponent, looking as though it was waiting to attack, It's opponent looked a bit reptilian, aside from the huge flower the sprouted out from his back. At the center of his flower, a light was glowing within it, like it's power was being stored up inside. The trainer of the serpent-like Pokemon called out "Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!" Gyarados allowed it's jaws to close as it reared back it's head, in an instant he came back with it's mouth open with a torrent of water blasting out like it was shot out of a cannon. The pressure of the attack caused the flower like monster to skid back a few feet. The fans showed their unbiased appreciation of the Gyarados' display of power. The boy held an arm over his face as the water splashed around him and he blinked, looking to his monster "Are you okay, Venusaur?" The trainer asked to the monster. Venusaur shook it off though and eyed the big blue monster. Seeing this, the young trainer smiled "Alright Venusaur, fire right back at him with Solar Beam!"

As ordered, Venusaur aimed it's flower toward his opponent and let out a roar, the light that was stored inside of this flower burst out in a beam of light Gyarados roared in dismay upon taking the blast head-on, causing the Pokemon to fall back and collapse right in front of it's trainer. Upon seeing this display the fans roared in cheers as the announcer of the match looks. "Gyarados can not continue any further, the winner of the match is the Challenger, Paul! Now to be crowned the new Pokemon Champion!" The crowd roared once again as Paul and the ex-champion shook hands for a good match. As the ex-champion left, Paul released all his Pokemon out to celebrate. Paul laughed happily and shouted out "YEAH!!! I did it, I did it!" Suddenly the Venusaur looked to Paul and started calling out to him with a middle-aged woman's voice "... Paul?" Paul blinked and eyed Venusaur oddly "... Y-You can talk? And for some reason... you sound like my mom..." The Venusaur didn't respond, only calling out to him "Paul, it's time to get up!" Paul blinked a bit "... Huh?"

Paul blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself not in a stadium full of fans or with super-strong Pokemon. He was laying in his bed, messed up due to his constant rolling in his sleep. His room was kept nice and clean, which would be surprising for a boy his age... until you find out that his mother would starve him unless it was clean. The boy sat up restlessly and gave up a big yawn and stretch. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he glanced at his mom "... Mom? What is it? Can't I sleep in some more?"

The mother was a beautiful young woman who had her black, upper back-lengthen hair tied into a ponytail She wore a yellow top and a denim blue skirt. "... -sigh- I knew this was going to happen, playing video games all night like usual. Paul, you remember Professor Oak came by to visit today to hand new trainers a Pokedex to help with his research. He can't wait there forever, you know!"

Paul blinked and recalled they town head mentioning about Professor Oak coming by to see the new trainers off. Paul sprang out of his bed and shouted "Oh man, I'm late!"

His mother blinked and noticed that his son was stark naked as soon as he got up. She glanced down and sighed ".... And I was praying to god that this was only going to be a short-term phase, like peeing on the bed or something. I was sure he'd grow out of it..."

Paul blinked a bit and glanced down at himself, gasping and blushing as he covered himself with his hands "D-Damn it...."

She turned away from Paul and headed out of the room "... Just try to keep yourself from doing that while out there, Paul..."

Quickly ran over and threw on some fresh clothes for him to wear. His outfit was the staple blue jean pants with a black T-shirt. Then, he slipped on some black, finger-less gloves He then slipped on a hooded zip-up blue and black coat with a poke ball design on his back. He puts his running shoes on and ties them, then slips on an accessory on his belt, a carrier for his Pokemon team. He slips on his back pack on which held many compartments which he could assort his items with.

He stepped down to the first floor of his house and was about to head out of the house. "Hey, wait up one second!" his mother called out to him. Paul blinked a bit and stopped, turning over to his mother "Hmm?" His mom sighed and walked over "Here... you're going to need this in your travels, I'm sure of it." Paul blinked and looked over "Ah, my Poke gear!" Paul takes it and slips it in his coat pocket. "Thanks mom! I know you will miss me when I'm on my journey, but..."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Paul blinked and turned around and answered it "... Hello?" As Paul let the door creak open slowly, some force from the other side pushed at the door, sending Paul back a bit "Waaah!" He kept himself from falling and watched as three big Machokes suddenly stomped their way into the houses and headed up the stairs. A man followed after them, stopping before his mother "We're here for the remodeling job, ma'am."

She gave a small smile "Well, I was kind of hoping you'd come a little later but, it's fine."

The man then looked to him and said "... Ah... awkward..." The man slipped a hard hat on and went up the stairs as well.

Paul blinked a bit and turned to his mother ".... Mom? Who was that guy? Why three Machokes?" The mother blinked and rested her head against her hand ".... Well..."

The Machokes came walking back down, carrying things that were in Paul's room, one carrying a TV, the other a dress, and another a big Snorlax Plushie. Paul blinks and steps in the way of the Machokes "Whoa! Hold on! That's my stuff!" The Machokes simply shoved by Paul, following their master's orders word for word.

His mother walked over to Paul "Now, now... don't get in the way of their honest work." Paul blinked and looked at his mom "Honest work? They are pulling stuff out of my room!" His mother tilted her head, rubbing the back of her head "... My, this is troublesome... I was hoping I could tell you about it later... but, Paul... I love you, my beautiful son! That is why I say it's time that I let you go and spread your arms out and bask in your horizons. Trying to hold you here at home... no, I don't want you to become an Otaku or NEET. No, I have great aspirations for your life!"

Paul eyes his mom ".... Sounds like a load of bull to me, mom.... so, why are they taking my stuff out of my room?" His mother sighed "H-How cruel to think that your own, lonely mother has ulterior motices... but, yeah... we are storing your stuff at a garage shop and renovating your room into a bigger bath and hot tub room." Paul stomped his foot down "I KNEW IT! But, why? I thought you'd keep it for memories of raising me into the brilliant young man I am today..."

His mother waved his hand, the smile fading from her visage "... Naw, you were a pain in an ass to raise, being a bastard child and all. Your father said he was going to achieve his dream of becoming a Gym Leader and catch some strong Pokemon. He ended up capturing that Tramp, instead... home wrecker..." Paul eyed his mom oddly, tilting his head "... I see..." His mother snapped out of it and smiled "Ah! Ah ha ha ha... Boys are meant to leave home someday. It said so on TV!" Paul glares at his mom "So nostalgic! But, hearing that out of you just pisses me off!" Paul turns around and growls "Fine then, I see how it is. Goodbye, mother!"

He stormed off outside, couldn't believe that his mom would move on so quickly. His eyes fell upon some of his furniture that sat inside the truck. "... My stuff, some day, I'll make it rich and then, I'll free you from this storage facility! Mark my words!" He then turned to the small town of New Bark, a rather small town with a very low residency but, nice and quiet, and everyone knew one another. As Paul made his way to new trainer's meeting spot, which was most likely the Lab of Professor Elm. Like Professor Oak, Professor Elm is a high-esteemed scientist in the study of Pokemon evolution.

Paul waved at some of his neighbors that he passed by An elderly man called out "You're setting out today, Paul?" Paul looked to the old man and smirked "You betcha, gramps! Root for me, okay?" He turned and smiled, feeling all proud until he heard the old man yell back "Feh... the one I'm rooting for is Ethan! He's shown a lot of potential and has been involved with a lot of Professor Elm's work." Paul growled a bit "Like I care, you old fart! Fine, I'll just have to prove you wrong?" He stopped and looked over to a lady. "... Right?" The woman smiled some "... Well... I was kind of rooting for Ethan, too..."

Paul couldn't believe what he was hearing, this only made him even more pissed off. "Fine! I don't need anyone's praise! I will become a great trainer, better than Ethan, better than anyone! And you all could kiss my ass!" His neighbors watched silently as Paul stormed off in an ill mood. He was getting close to the lab as he muttered ".... Ethan this, Ethan that... I'll show them! Soon, they can't help but, talk all about me!"

Paul stepped in front of the lab and pulled the door open. As he stepped in, he noticed a few of Professor Elm's assistants, who greeted him at the door. As he approached the back of the lab, he noticed Professor Elm and Professor Oak were standing there, Elm was bent over, clutching his head with his hands "... That poor Pokemon... I hope that boy at least treats it well..." Professor Oak frowned a bit and patted Professor Elm on the shoulder, then looked up noticing Paul. "Well, hello there."

Paul blinked a bit and nodded "A-Ah, my name is Paul. I am one of the new trainers that is to come today to receive a Pokemon. Oh, here, this is my Trainer Card." Paul pulled out his wallet and pulled out the card, proof that he's passed the exams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer.

Professor Elm adjusted his glasses while looking at Paul's trainer card and gave off another frown of his own ".... Paul, was it? I don't know how to tell you this but, about an hour before you came, a boy with red hair, which Ethan came to see that his name was Silver, broke in through the back door and stole the Pokemon that was meant to be yours. I'm so sorry, this is all a really bothersome mess."

Paul blinked a bit and eyed Elm, and looked over to the machine that held the Pokemon, seeing that there was nothing left. "... that means, I don't have a Pokemon now?" Everything seemed to be crashing around him fast, and now he doesn't even have a room he could go back to.

"We didn't say that!" Paul blinked and looked over to Professor Oak, who was brimming with a smile. "This only means we need to improvise." Professor Oak stepped over to Paul and smiled "Paul, today marks a day of legend, a beginning to your story. And here, is your first Pokemon partner. Train it, raise it, and have faith in your Pokemon. You both could accomplish great things!" With that, Professor Oak handed Paul a Poke Ball. Paul gasped a bit and looked down inside, peering at the Pokemon. "... Wow... really, Professor Oak? Thank you!" Professor Elm got up and smiled "Say, Paul. Why don't you let that Pokemon walk with you? I say a trainer and his or her Pokemon will be able to get along better when they are able to communicate more. Plus, it might be better when facing wild Pokemon, not having to pull out a Poke Ball all the time."

Paul blinked and nodded to Professor Elm, pressing the little white button on the Poke Ball and it popped open, releasing the Pokemon inside. As the Pokemon materialized from the ball, Standing before them was an Eevee. Paul recognized this Pokemon and gasped "... A-An Eevee? N-No... I couldn't... aren't these species rare?" Professor Oak let out a chuckle and patted Paul on the shoulder "Do not fret over it at all. Here." He handed Paul a Pokedex and some Poke Balls. "With these tools, not only will you be able to keep track and manage your growing team but, you could learn much more from them. My dream was to fill the Pokedex with all the Pokemon in existence. But, that could indeed prove to be impossible but, with help, I'm sure anything is possible."

Professor Elm smiled and then concluded this meeting "Paul, of New Bark Town, Professor Oak and I wish you the best of luck. Go on and enjoy your journey. Your new life!"


	2. Battle 2: A Rocky Start

Battle #2: A Rocky Start

Professor Elm smiled to Paul "Say, Paul. Why don't you let that Pokemon walk with you? I say a trainer and his or her Pokemon will be able to get along better when they are able to communicate more. Plus, it might be better when facing wild Pokemon, not having to pull out a Poke Ball all the time." Paul nodded and held his hand out "... Here goes..." He pressed the button at the center of his Poke Balls and that ball flashed a brilliant bright white as it opened. The light reached the floor and took on a form that materialized into an Eevee. Professor Elm smiled at Paul's reaction to the Pokemon and nodded "Paul, of New Bark Town, Professor Oak and I wish you the best of luck. Go on and enjoy your journey. Your new life!"

Paul looked back and grinned "Will I ever!" Paul walked over to the Eevee and picked it up off the floor, holding the Eevee up in front of his face. The Eevee simply looked back and gave off a cute squeak of a noise. "Waaah... it's so cute!" Paul announced, looking like his eyes sparkled as he looked at it. "... Is it a girl or a boy?" Paul lifted the Eevee higher into the air and looked in between the Eevee's hind legs.

Profeessor Oak and Professor Elm both gasped at seeing Paul looking at Eevee's privates "W-Wait, you don;'t have to do that..." Professor Oak told Paul. "In your Pokedex, it will also note what is the nature and passive ability of your Pokemon, the current list of moves it could use, even your Pokemon's gender. That is so it could save you from having to look at the privates of every Pokemon you catch."

Paul blinked and looked back to Professor Oak "... This Eevee is definitely a Female..." Professor Oak blinked and eyed Paul "Hey! Weren't you listening to me?! And how does a boy your age know how to differentiate between a male and female?! " Paul looked over to Professor Oak "... I was listening. I got, okay? Pokedex could tell me many details about Pokemon I catch from moves to it's gender. See? And... I'm not answering that other question..." The Eevee blinked and leaned over, nipping at Paul's ear with some rather sharp teeth. Paul blinked and shouted out "OWWW!!! You little brat!" He puts the Eevee down and points "Bad Eevee! No biting! No!"

Professor Elm chuckled and walked over him "To make it more personal, you could think up a nickname for your Eevee. I think your Eevee will like it, too." Paul heard this and looked up, as if in thought but, wasn't in it so much as he soon gave an answer "... Pickles." Professor Oak and Professor Elm fell silent for a moment upon hearing Paul say this. The assistants, too, were silent, looking oddly at Paul. "... Ha ha..." Professor Elm came to again "... What was that? I don't know if there is something wrong with my ears but, I could of sworn you said 'Pickles'..." Paul blinked a bit and nodded "Umm... yeah, I want to nickname my Eevee 'Pickles'." Professor Elm laughed nervously "... W-Why? Why would you give it a name like that?" Paul smirked a bit "Well, because, I love Pickles. As they say, life is like a Pickle. It's sour and hard to chew but, it's satisfying when you're done with it!" Everyone in the room, aside from Paul, fell over from Paul's odd reasoning. "... No one says that... ever!" one of the assistants muttered.

Paul blinked and looked around at everyone who fell over and the awkward silence, which was broken with the growls coming from Pickles. Paul glanced down and noticed Pickles tugging at his pant's leg like a dog Pokemon would, growling and tugging at his pants with it's teeth. "Pickles! No! That's a bad Eevee!" He lightly bonked it on the head to make it stop. "Anyways, the day is still young, we got some ground to cover since the others got a good head start over me. Bye Professor Oak and Professor Elm! Thanks for everything!" Professor Oak got up and waved at Paul "Wait! Register our numbers on that Poke Gear of yours! That way you could call us in case you have questions or want your Pokedex evaluated." Paul stopped and blinked "Oh, alright." He went back and took their numbers down on his Poke Gear, registering both of their numbers into it.. "Well, thank you... now I'm really on my way now. Bye!" Paul then turned and ran out of the laboratory. Professor Oak watched the boy leave ".... Paul, from New Bark Town, huh? Along with his partner, Pickles, the Eevee. Very interesting, indeed." Professor Elm smiled "... I know you don't just hand over Pokemon to anyone... I'll trust in your instincts about that boy."

Paul went ahead and ran to leave the town. A woman blinked and called out "Paul, shouldn't you visit your mother first before you go?" Paul stopped and shook his head "Tch... no way, she's probably too busy getting my room ready for her personal Spa." Paul then continued on out of the town as the woman looked puzzled by his reply.

As he stepped out of his town, he stepped into the natural route which was Route 29. Paul considered it kind of stupid that these routes were given numbers rather than actual names. Then again, it was such a small town and one being between two small towns as of New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City. But, as small as Cherrygrove was, did it even count as a city? Paul shrugged these thoughts away and glanced over towards his Eevee "Hmm, looks like it's just us two for now, Pickles. Let's get going, maybe we could capture some good teammates." Paul glanced over, peering at a large patch of grass out before him. He gave off a gulp, usually being told to keep away from the grass by his mother and others. But, now that he was a Pokemon Trainer, this would be his first tread through it.

However, Pickles didn't seem to want to wait, sniffing a bit at the grass, then gave off a small growl. Pickles then charged in, leaving his trainer behind. Paul blinked and watched this "W-Wait, Pickles! Where are you going?" Paul thoughtlessly rushed in, following in after Pickles. As expected, the grass was thick; if it weren't for him wearing pants, his legs would be tickled by the long blades of grass running over his legs. The scent of freshly cut grass filled his senses as he ran. It wasn't much longer than that as he spotted Pickles growling and prowling about with what looked like a Wild Ratata.

The Ratata bore it's fangs, trying to intimidate Pickles with it's sharp, front teeth but, there seemed to be no backing down in Pickles. Paul blinked a bit, a little nervous but, at the same time, excited, being it their first Pokemon battle of any kind. Fumbling through his pockets, he managed to find his Pokedex and opened it. "Well, then... Pickles, follow my orders!" Pickles kept it's eyes on Ratata, looking focused but, respond with what seemed to be a bark. The Ratata suddenly turned it's back on Pickles and wagged it's tail at her in a rather taunting gesture. Pickles blinks at this and seemed to get irritated, causing it to charge in to attack without Paul's order. Paul blinked a bit "W-Wait... Pickles, stop!"

Pickles didn't listen, charging at Ratata blindly. Ratata anticipated this and took an opening while Pickles' guard was down. Pickles yelped a bit as it slid back a bit a ways. Paul glanced over to Pickles "Are you okay, Pickles? Geez... we have to work on that temper of yours..." Pickles shook it off and squeaked up at Paul. Paul smirked a bit "Heh heh... that's right, now it's our turn!" The Ratata seemed to have other plans as it started running after Pickles with a bit of confidence in him. Paul smirked a bit and waited, he then extended his hand out and pointed "Pickles! Use Growl!" Pickles breathed in a bit, filling her lunges with air, and let off an astonishing growl. The Ratata's ears twitched violently from the loud cry from Pickles, causing Ratata to stumble a bit in it's run, trying to shake off the ringing in it's ears.

Paul saw this and acted quickly "There it is! Our opening! Pickles, Tackle the little bastard!" Pickles responded with no hesitation, charging at Ratata at full force. The collision was unforgiving, raising the Ratata off the ground for a bit and causing it to roll against the floor. By the time it stopped rolling, it was apparent that the Ratata was down for the count. Paul blinked at this "Damn, woman... hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, indeed... was that a Critical Hit? Paul looked down to his Pokedex "Well, it was only a level two... Either way, what did Oak say about registering a Pokemon on this Poke-whatever-thingy?" He looked to his Pokedex, pressing a few buttons "Hmm... I think it was this one and then... ah, there we go..." He saw that it listed the Pokemon's name, measurements, habitats around Johto, and a brief summary about them. "Hmm... alright. Let's move on... and Pickles... try not to make them faint, I do want to catch one or two. Are you listening?" He looked to Pickles, who seemed to be rather excited over this one battle and looked rather fired up, howling a bit. Paul eyed his Eevee with a worried look "... Uh, you are listening to me, aren't you. Pickles?"

Paul's fears seem to be legit, for as much as they have walked through the wild, Pickles would not hold back, attacking each and every wild pokemon that appeared before him. More Ratatas shared the same fate as their earlier brother, fainting to Pickles' wrath. Amongst the victims, Pidgeys and Sentrets had also fallen to Pickles' harsh Tackles. One by one, they fell and Paul was left sitting back, hoping for a small chance of being able to catch at least one. But, it never came to be. ".... Pickles, no... at this rate, I'll never catch anything.... please, give me a chance...."

It was night fall by the time they got to Cherrygrove City, Paul staggered a bit as he walked into the town. Much like a Pokemon, Paul looked rather beat up. ".... Ugh... I couldn't catch a damn thing.... why did I have to have a Pokemon who is so power hungry?" Paul looked back over towards Pickles, seeing that it was a bit tired but, still had that proud smirk on it's face. "... Damn it, I need to call that old man..."

Paul went ahead and took his Eevee to get some rest and relaxation at the Pokemon Center in the city. Paul rested outside, waiting for Pickles to get it's rest while holding the Poke Gear to his ear. "... C'mon, Old Man, you shouldn't be in bed this early in the night..."

"_Well, hello there, Paul! Nice of you to call me, how are you?"_

Paul blinked at Professor Oak answering ".... Professor? How did you know it was me calling?"

"_The Poke Gear we use has caller identification, meaning you will know whose calling for as long as you have them registered."_

Paul blinked and looked at the back of his phone, seeing the display. He then placed the phone back to his ear. ".... Ah, I see. Well, okay. Anyways, Professor... I was wanting to talk about the Eevee you got me."

"_Oh? And how is that little Eevee doing? From watching you two, it seems to me that she's come to like you."_

Paul sighed a bit "Well, that's not really the problem. The thing is, I think Pickles is a bit too energetic. I mean, I did manage to pick up three pages for the Pokedex but, I have yet to catch a Pokemon. She always keeps attacking until the other faints. Thanks to that, it's level eight now... at this rate, I won't be able to catch anything!" Paul sighed and laid on his side, on top of the couch "Ugh.... what should I do to try to calm it down? Give it a Rabies shot or something?"

"_Ah, ha, ha... no, I don't think you'd have to go to that extreme. That Eevee of yours is still young, like you, getting used to the outside world. Give it a little time, it will learn that brute force isn't all there is to battling. It's a learning process of which you and your Eevee will experience together."_

Paul blinks a bit and thinks ".... A learning process, huh? Okay, I think I get it now. Sorry for calling so late. Good night, Professor."

"_You are doing a fine job so far, keep it up and don't lose heart. And get some good rest!"_

Paul hung up the Poke Gear and sighed, slipping it into his pocket. A nurse walked over to him as he was resting. "Paul? Sorry to bother you but, your Eevee is ready." Paul blinked and nodded "Ah, alright then..." As Paul made his way over to get Pickles back, he couldn't help but, overhear a conversation going on amongst two trainers hanging out beside the counter. ".... So, there are different Pokemon who come out at night, huh? Such a drag... I'd rather sleep than hunt for Pokemon in the dark..." One of them said. "Even so, it'd be intriguing to see how these night Pokemon are like..."

Paul took this news to heart as he received Pickles. He let her out of her Pokeball and leaned down to her "Hey, I know you might be sleepy but, I want to go out again. I want to catch a Pokemon who only appears at night!" But, as he mentioned this, he sees Pickles snicker, seeming like she rather demonstrate her own power than helping her trainer form his Pokemon Team. At this, Paul sighed "... Life lessons, please come quick and help me..." Paul then turned and made his way out with Pickles, hoping that things would turn out for the better.


End file.
